Australia Battles Wildfires Amidst a Decline in Tree Cover and Rising Emissions

Australia Battles Wildfires Amidst a Decline in Tree Cover and Rising Emissions

Australia has been grappling with significant environmental challenges, as recent data indicates a worrying trend in tree cover loss and associated emissions. Over the past two decades, the country has witnessed a net loss of approximately 916,553 hectares of tree cover, which constitutes a 1.03% decrease from its original extent. The most substantial losses were reported in 2020, with over 2.35 million hectares affected, leading to a staggering emission of roughly 685 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent.

Wildfires have been a major driver of this decline, contributing to the largest proportion of tree cover loss and emissions, particularly in the catastrophic years of 2019 and 2020. In these two years alone, wildfires accounted for over 3.30 million hectares of the lost tree cover and approximately 784 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions. This is a stark contrast to other factors such as forestry, shifting agriculture, and urbanization, which, while still significant, have had a lesser impact in comparison.